Sixty delegates representing 11 towns and cities across the east of England attended a tourism conference hosted by King’s Lynn Town Guides at the historic Hanse House.

In her welcoming speech, borough mayor, Carol Bower said that all of the guides did a wonderful and important job in promoting heritage tourism across the region and was pleased that Lynn had been chosen to host the event.

She added: “I’d like to congratulate King’s Lynn Town Guides on hosting such a great event and to thank them for inviting me to attend. Their hard work has made such a positive impact on our town.”

Dr Paul Richards gave a fascinating talk on the history of the Hanseatic League and its connections with Lynn, that continue to this day.

The conference was held in the Blue Room of the Hanse House and Dr Richards went on to explain that the room was built in the 18th Century, by the then owner, Edward Everard to entertain eligible bachelors who were invited as potential suitors for his four daughters.

Councillor Elizabeth Nockolds then spoke about King’s Lynn, Festival Town, outlining the year-round range of art and cultural activities and events that take place throughout the year.

After lunch, delegates were given the opportunity to take a guided walk around the historic town centre and visit the Town Hall and Stories of Lynn.

Town guides’ chairman, Bob Price said: “We have had a great turnout for this event and it has provided an opportunity to showcase King’s Lynn to tour guides from across the east of England. 2017 was a record year for the King’s Lynn Town Guides and we look forward to an even better year in 2018, once our season gets under way next month.”

The guides, who celebrated their 40th anniversary last year, lead guided walks around historic Lynn between May and October.

They include a maritime trail and one exploring the darker side of Lynn’s history.

Tickets priced £5 (adult), £4 (conc) or £1 (child) can be bought in advance from the Custom House.